The Parent Trap
by Shelecki
Summary: After being torn apart, Beck and Jade live completely separate lives. 10 Years Later Jade is a famous Broadway actress who lives with her 10-year-old daughter, Annabelle. Beck stars in a popular Canadian police drama and lives in Toronto with his 10-year-old daughter, Amelia. The girls meet up at camp and scheme to get their parents back together.
1. Amelia Oliver

"Well, kiddo, we're here..." said Samuel James, the live-in male nanny (otherwise known as a "manny") of Beck Oliver's daughter, as he pulled into a spot in the parking lot on Camp Hippodrome's large property.

* * *

Camp Hippodrome was an exclusive performing arts summer camp. It was located in a small, rural area of Texas called Hathaway County. To attend, one must audition with either a monologue, song, or dance sequence. There were five different divisions: Primary, Elementary, Secondary, Junior, and Senior. The Primary Division was for children ages 6 years old and younger. The Elementary Division was for children ages 7-9 years old. The Secondary Division was for children ages 10-12 years old. The Junior Division was for teenagers ages 13-15 years old. Finally, the Senior Division was for people ages 16 years old and older. The Primary Division was only a day camp. The Elementary and Secondary Divisions gave campers the option to stay overnight. The Junior and Senior Divisions were sleepaway camps. The campers took various classes based on their performing arts interests. They also did fun outdoor activities, like horseback riding, with their divisions. Located on the camp's massive property was a riding stable. At this stable, equines were trained for stunts and movies. The stable also offered riding lessons, and it ran a riding camp called Camp Delta every summer. Camp Hippodrome offered an equine add-on option. This allowed campers to divide their time between Camp Delta and Camp Hippodrome.

* * *

"Yay!" 10-year-old Amelia Oliver cheered. She and Samuel stepped out of their pristine rental car. They walked around to the trunk of the shiny vehicle and opened it.

"Now, Amelia, are you sure you want to be here for the whole entire summer?" Samuel asked worriedly. He hesitated to take the first of Amelia's three suitcases out of the car's trunk. He turned to face Amelia and kneels down, so he was at her eye level. "It's no trouble if you don't want to go to sleepaway camp anymore! We can get into the car again, and I'll drive back to the airport. We can catch the soonest flight back to Toronto! You could spend a little more time in your home before you and your father move to Los Angeles..." he offered temptingly.

Amelia playfully rolled her eyes at her manny's tendency to act like a helicopter parent. She gave him a reassuring smile and assured him that she would be fine. She frowned when her reassurances failed to assuage Samuel's fears. She promised to call him if she had even the slightest doubts or concerns about anything. This seemed to satisfy her manny, and the two began taking Amelia's luggage out of the car's trunk.

Amelia and Samuel headed to Camp Hippodrome's admissions office with all three suitcases in tow. They followed the numerous signs posted around the property, eventually locating the place they need.

* * *

When they walked into the office, a woman with a clipboard was walking in as well. The woman noticed Amelia and Samuel and introduced herself.

"Hello, sweetie! My name is Marjorie. I'm the camp director. You must be here to register for camp! I can help you with that, then I'll have one of our counsellors take you to the Elementary Division!" the woman cheerfully said to Amelia.

Amelia extended her hand towards Marjorie, and the two shook hands. She gave the older woman a friendly smile. "Hi! My name is Amelia Oliver, and I'm actually in the Secondary Division," she informed Marjorie.

Marjorie gasped in embarrassment and apologized for her mistake. Amelia assured the camp director that most people couldn't tell how old she was by looking at her. She told her that her small stature was due to her stunted growth and that people tended to think she was about four years younger than she actually was.

Marjorie remembered hearing the girl's name come up during a meeting she had with the people who judged the campers' auditions. She remembered the audition judges telling her about two girls that absolutely blew them away with their talent. Amelia, who happened to be one of the girls, was placed in several Senior Classes as a result of her impressive audition.

* * *

Marjorie got Amelia registered. She gave Amelia her cabin assignment and a "Welcome to Camp Hippodrome" swag bag. She collected Amelia's three suitcases and tied a white grosgrain ribbon onto the handle of each one. She explained that the ribbon's color let the counsellors helping with luggage know which cabin to bring campers' belongings to. In this case, someone would bring Amelia's suitcases to the _Evita_ Cabin, since they had a white ribbon tied onto them.

Amelia thanked Marjorie, then she gave Samuel a big hug goodbye.

When they pulled away from their hug, Samuel once again asked Amelia if she's certain she wants to attend the camp, and once again, she reassured him that she wanted to attend and that she'd be fine.

They embraced again, before parting ways when a counsellor came to take Amelia to her division.


	2. Annabelle West

Ten-year-old Annabelle West's clear blue eyes lit up when she passed the Camp Hippodrome sign as she entered the ground of the camp. She excitedly pressed her face against the rental car's window, fogging up the glass with her quick breaths. Her eyes darted around the campus as she was driven down the driveway and to the parking lot. She contentedly drank in all of the new sights, which were vastly different from what she was used to at home.

As a resident of New York City, Annabelle was used to pushing her way through immense crowds wherever she went. Her usual urban surroundings included skyscrapers, lights, and taxicabs. She immediately decided that she prefers the beauty and serenity of the wide open spaces to the bustling commotion of an urban setting.

* * *

Annabelle was so distracted with looking at everything that she didn't notice that her au pair, Cecilia, had parked the car, gotten out, and opened her door. Hearing her name being said softly in a familiar French accent grabbed her attention. She turned her head towards Cecilia and sheepishly smiled.

"Sorry, I was looking at...well...everything," she told Cecilia as she hopped out of the car.

Cecilia chuckled and smiled at her charge. She gently ruffled the small girl's dark hair, then she assisted Annabelle with her baggage, which consisted of a large pink duffel bag that was monogrammed with her initials and a smaller duffel backpack with a flamingo design on the front. The two took the duffels out of the trunk of their rented station wagon.

Cecilia closed the trunk, and Annabelle closed her car door, since she forgot to do it right after she exited the car. Then, they looked for the admissions office.

* * *

After getting lost twice, Cecilia swallowed her pride and asked a staff member for directions to the admissions office. The staff member, who was coming back from escorting a new camper to her division, was also heading there, so she told Cecilia and Annabelle to follow her.

Marjorie helped Annabelle register, then she gave the girl her cabin assignment and swag bag. She refrained from making any assumptions about which division Annabelle was supposed to be in because she already made that mistake earlier this morning. She tied a satiny black ribbon around the handles of Annabelle's bags, indicating that they needed to be taken to the _Phantom of the Opera_ Cabin, which was where Annabelle would be residing during her time at Camp Hippodrome. Annabelle expressed her appreciation for Marjorie's help, then she politely stated that she has a question. Marjorie told the girl to "ask away."

"Are there times when we can wear our normal clothes?" Annabelle asked in reference to the camp uniforms.

As a way to promote unity and instill a sense of togetherness, Camp Hippodrome required all its campers in the Elementary through Senior Divisions to wear a uniform. The uniform was comprised of several articles of clothing that can be mixed and matched to the wearer's liking. Campers had the choice of wearing a solid purple, royal blue, navy blue, or white (camp-approved uniform colors) polo shirt or button-down shirt (short or long sleeved) with the camp name and/or logo/shield embroidered on it or a solid teeshirt (short or long sleeved) in camp-approved uniform colors with the camp name and/or logo/shield screen-printed on the front of it. They could pair any of these tops with a pair of khaki or neutral-colored chino bottoms (skirts, pants, shorts, Bermudas, or capris), a pair of athletic shorts in black, grey, or a camp approved uniform color with the camp name on the bottom, or a pleated kilt in purple plaid or navy blue plaid. Campers in the Elementary and Secondary Divisions also had the option of wearing a solid purple or navy blue jumper or a purple or navy blue plaid jumper. The uniforms should be in good repair and were not allowed to be "obnoxiously short or revealing." Additional pieces of clothing could be worn for warmth if desired. These pieces of clothing didn't have to be in uniform, but outerwear with the camp name and/or logo/shield was available for purchase. When not in uniform, campers were expected to follow a simple dress code.

"You're the first person to ask about that. That is an excellent question and yes, there will be times when you won't have to be in uniform. Your cabin counsellor with go over uniforms in more detail tonight," Marjorie told Annabelle.

Annabelle nodded and accepted the camp director's response to her question, then told her au pair goodbye.

"Au revoir!" she said to Cecilia in the woman's native language. She hugged the au pair tightly. Cecilia bent down and kissed each of Annabelle's cheeks. She told the girl that her French accent has improved a lot and to call her if she needs anything. The two parted ways when a camp counsellor took Annabelle to the Secondary Division.

* * *

As she walked with the counsellor, Annabelle turned around and gave Cecilia one last smile and wave.


	3. Cabins

Once all of the campers had arrived, Marjorie had all of the divisions gather together in the outdoor auditorium.

She recited a quick, welcoming speech, before giving a short talk about the history of Camp Hippodrome. She also talked about the camp, and the activities scheduled for the day.

After Marjorie dismissed the campers, they scampered away to get settled in their cabins.

* * *

The campers went to their assigned cabin areas, which were separated by division and gender. Each cabin was named after a musical or play.

There were six Secondary Division girls' cabins. They were positioned in a line, forming the curved part of a semicircle, with a flagpole in the middle. The order (from left to right) of the cabins was as follows: the _Evita_ Cabin, the _Les Misérables_ Cabin, the _Matilda_ Cabin, [flagpole], the _Pippin_ Cabin, the _Annie_ Cabin, the _Phantom of the Opera_ Cabin.

Inside of each cabin was three bunkbeds, one single twin-sized bed, three bureaus, three wooden desks, a walk-in storage closet, overhead lighting fixtures, and several electrical outlets. The outside of the cabins had murals depicting famous scenes and characters from the musical that it was named for on three of the four sides. The front, which was the side without a mural, had the name of the cabin painted on it and two flag holders attached on each side. The Camp Hippodrome flag was in the left flag holder, and a flag with the cabin's musical's playbill design was in the right one.

The campers entered their cabins and met their cabin counsellors.

* * *

Annabelle excitedly bounded into the _Phantom of the Opera_ Cabin, hopping over all three of the front steps.

She and her new cabinmates' luggage was already inside, next to the door. The girls met their cabin counsellor, Christine, then they explored the small cabin and picked out beds.

Sierra and Sienna Callahan, the 11-year-olds that Annabelle befriended first, called dibs on the bunk against the left wall. Annabelle and her new friend, 11-year-old Carrie King, took the middle bunk. The two 12-year-olds, with whom Annabelle has yet to introduce herself, were left with the bunk against the right wall.

Although Sierra and Sienna were twins, no one would guess it by looking at them. Sierra, the older twin, had pale greyish-blue eyes, straight strawberry-blonde hair, and a rounder face with smooth features. Sienna, the younger twin, had cat-like green eyes, wavy dirty blonde hair, and a slimmer face with more defined features.

Carrie, who was sleeping on the lower bunk due to her epilepsy, was tall and thin, like a rail. She towered over all of her cabinmates, standing at five feet, six inches tall. A sensible pair of hipster glasses sat over her curious hazel eyes. Freckles were sprinkled over her cheeks and the bridge of her ski-jump nose. Her medium-brown hair gently framed her pale face, and bangs that were little too long were continually pushed away when they fell over her eyes.

Rowan Browning was one of the 12-year-olds. She had curled jet-black hair, an olive skin tone, plain grey eyes, and a slight overbite. Her small head, slim hips, short torso, and long limbs emulated the ideal characteristics of a ballerina. Rowan's body build and lightness on her feet, led Annabelle to suspect that she was a dancer.

Scarlett White was the other 12-year-old. Her flat-ironed dark brown hair was dip-dyed bright red at the bottom. Her icy blue eyes and ghostly pallor stood out against her dark makeup and wardrobe. She wore a small silver hoop in her left nostril and on her lip. Scarlett's tough exterior made Annabelle fear that her cabinmate was a mean goth girl.

Annabelle introduced herself to Scarlett and Rowan. After talking with them for a while, her suspicion was confirmed: Rowan really was a ballet dancer. She also learned that despite her dark appearance, Scarlett was actually a very sweet girl.

* * *

Amelia conversed with her new friend, a lanky 11-year-old named Josh Needlemeyer, while she headed back to her cabin.

Josh, who had just gone through a growth spurt, was exactly five and a half feet tall. His limbs were long, and his joints were knobby. His shy blue eyes hid under bangs that swooped across his forehead. A constant, playful half-smile rested on his lips.

As they talk, Amelia learned that Josh was from Wisconsin and that he was interested in special effects and stunt work.

They walked and talked until they got to the place where the trail to the boys' cabins and the girls' cabins split into two. When they reached this place, they said goodbye and made plans to sit with each other during lunchtime.

Amelia skipped up the three steps to the _Evita_ Cabin and entered.

She found all of her cabinmates arguing over the fact that 12-year-old Lana Brayer had designated an entire bunk bed for herself.

As Amelia was entering Lana noticed her and stopped bickering with the four other girls. She stared the tiny girl down, like a hawk sizing up its prey.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing here!?" Lana questioned.

Amelia introduced herself and told the older girl that she was assigned to the Evita Cabin during registration.

"You need to go back to the Primary Division! What are you? Like four? You don't belong here! The people in this cabin are women! We don't need some baby hanging around!" Lana said to Amelia.

Standing her ground and refusing to let the older girl intimidate her, Amelia informed Lana that she was indeed in the correct division because she recently turned ten.

"Ew! I am not sharing a cabin with some lowly, prepubescent little kid who is too dumb to understand the concept of even becoming a woman. I bet you don't even know what a bra is! You've probable never even heard of puberty!" Lana snidely asserted, directing her words at Amelia.

"Okay, first of all: I'm not dumb. Second of all: I know what a bra is. And third of all: Yes, I've actually heard of puberty," Amelia said in response.

"Oh yeah? Use both words in a sentence," Lana challenged. A soft rustle occurred as she crossed her arms over her chest. This went virtually unnoticed by everyone except Amelia.

Amelia cleared her throat.

"Sentence number one: When you crossed your arms and something rustled, it was blatantly obvious that you stuff your bra, since you are not well-endowed up top. Sentence number two: Due to a weird hormonal irregularity that I have, I have not gone through puberty; therefore I am not yet a woman," she said coolly.

Lana tried to hide her shock at Amelia figuring out that her bra was stuffed. She put her hands on her hips and glared at the tiny girl.

"So what if I stuff!? I still have _something_ even when it's not stuffed. I'm just adding on to what's already there, so HA!" she fired back.

"What's already there? Two mosquito bites?" Amelia sassily retorted with an amused eyebrow raised.

Lana's eyes narrowed into tiny slits, determined not to let Amelia to have the last word.

"At least my boobs can be seen without a microscope!" she exclaimed to Amelia.

"Roots," Amelia simply replied.

The other girls in the cabin giggled as Lana gasped. She whipped out a handheld mirror and frantically checked her hair.

The _Evita_ Cabin counsellor, Eva, came through the door holding a clipboard. She greeted the girls cheerfully, but they complained to her about Lana claiming an entire bunkbed.

Eva sighed and put the clipboard down on a desk. She assigned each girl to a bunk because Lana refused to voluntarily let someone else share hers.

Eventually Lana's bunkmate ended up being 12-year-old Cece Peron. Amelia's bunkmate was 12-year-old Amanda Kelly. The two remaining 12-year-olds, Rena Ray and Phoebe Hirsch, are bunkmates.

Amelia walks over to her three suitcases and drags them over to her assigned bunk. She and Amanda quickly decide who's getting the top bunk and who's getting the bottom bunk.

Lana, who was quickly dubbed the "mean girl" of the cabin, had dyed hair that's tightly coiled into long ringlets. Her natural brown roots peeked out from under her golden hair. She had big blue eyes and long eyelashes that were most likely fake. Lana's nose was too sculpted and perfect, leading Amelia to believe that the girl has had a nose job.

Amanda was a slender girl with smooth, dark skin. Her hair was textured and neatly cut into a shoulder-length bob. Her expressive brown eyes twinkled with excitement. She had well-manicured nails, which were meticulously painted with maroon polish.

Cece was a friendly girl of Argentine descent. She had a button nose and chubby cheeks. Her ombré hair hung in loose waves, and her eyes were a light shade of amber brown.

Rena was a petite Filipino girl, who was adopted as a baby. She had an oval-shaped face and prominent cheekbones. Her almond-shaped eyes were a very dark shade of brown, and her nose was small and dainty. Her pin-straight black hair was long and tied back in a low ponytail.

Phoebe was tall girl with an athletic build. She had frizzy platinum blonde curls and ocean blue eyes. She had a pointy nose and a perky, gap-toothed smile.

Amelia and her cabinmates settled into their cabin. All of the girls (except Lana) congratulated Amelia on the "massive shade" that she threw, and they told her that she "roasted Lana's butt."


	4. Advanced Stage Combat

At 6:00 am the next morning, Annabelle woke up. She quietly climbed out of bed and disclosed to her cabin counsellor that she was going to the camp showers. She gathered her towel, clothing, and toiletries, then silently slipped out the door, making sure she didn't wake anyone up.

Annabelle made her way to the Camp Hippodrome showering facility for the Secondary Division girls.

Much to her expectation, she was delighted to find that the showers deserted. She placed her clothing in a neatly folded pile outside of the stall, then hung her towel over the shower's curtain rod. She stepped into the first shower, stripped off her pajamas, and dropped them next to her clothes. She turned the knob, and a lukewarm spray came out of the shower head.

Annabelle quickly bathed, wanting to get out of the tepid stream of water, which was not warm enough for her liking. She turned the water off, wrung her dripping hair out, and wrapped her fluffy towel around her waifish body. She dried off, then dressed herself in her camp uniform. She wore a navy blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a pair of mid-thigh length cuffed khaki shorts. She gathered her towel, toiletries, and pajamas, then she left the camp showers and went back to her cabin.

When Annabelle returned to her cabin, everyone was still asleep. She put her pajamas in a pile next to her duffel bag. Then, she climbed up to the top bunk and made her bed as best she can. She laid flat on her stomach, playing on her cellphone until everyone else woke up.

* * *

Amelia awoke to light shaking. She groaned. Rolling over, she covered her head with her pillow.

"Come on, Amelia! It's time for breakfast!" her bunkmate, Amanda, urged.

At the mention of breakfast, Amelia sprang out of bed. She rapidly changed out of her pajamas and threw on her uniform: a purple short-sleeved teeshirt with the camp logo screen-printed in white on the front and a pair of white athletic shorts with the camp name printed at the bottom. She quickly ran a comb through her dark, wavy hair, then she and the rest of her cabinmates headed to breakfast.

She and Amanda talked together on their way to the dining/mess hall. As they conversed, Amelia learned that her bunkmate is a ballet and lyrical dancer and that she is from Arizona.

"What do you like to do?" Amanda asked Amelia.

"I like to sing and act. My dad plays a cop on a TV show called _Shields_. We're moving to Los Angeles at the end of the summer because he got his own spinoff, _Shields: L.A._ ," Amelia answered. She and Amanda continued to chat as they made their way down to breakfast.

* * *

When Amanda and Amelia arrived at the dining/mess hall, they found it filled with clamorous campers.

"Hey, Amelia! Over here!" Amelia heard Josh, the friend she met yesterday, call. She pointed out the lanky boy to Amanda and explained that she met him the previous day. The two ran over to Josh's table to reserve seats for themselves.

* * *

Annabelle was politely conversing with the twins from her cabin that she befriended the night before. She learned that Sierra and Sienna like to sing, like her. She learned that they played orphans during Broadway's run of _Annie_. She told them that she currently plays Matilda Wormwood in _Matilda the Musical_ on Broadway. The three girls were joined by Carrie, who placed her food tray down and took a seat next to Annabelle. The girls greeted Carrie, then they filled her in on what they were talking about.

* * *

After breakfast, the campers gathered in the outdoor auditorium. Standing on the stage, Marjorie ushered a booming greeting to the campers into her handheld microphone. She told them that there was a record-breaking number of campers this year and, for the first time in Camp Hippodrome history, the campers would be putting on two musical productions at the end of the summer. She listed the musical options and told everyone that their votes were due to their cabin counsellors by the end of the day. The two shows that had the most votes would be the ones that the campers perform in. She then went onto explain the schedule for the day, then she dismissed the campers to their first class.

* * *

Amelia's first class was Advanced Stage Combat. Josh was also in the class with her. Aside from Amelia and Josh, Annabelle West was the only other camper from the Secondary Division in Advanced Stage Combat. The rest of the twenty-one campers in the class were from the Senior Division.

* * *

The Advanced Stage Combat class took place outside near the lake. It was taught by a young woman named Michelle.

The roped off area was big and spacious. The grass was soft and lush. There were mats and pads strewn about. There was a huge prop bin, and there were extra mats and pads to use for combat stunts.

Amelia and Josh were the first ones to arrive. They introduced themselves to Michelle and made small talk with her until more campers arrived.

Annabelle showed up next. She also introduced herself to Michelle. Then, she introduced herself to Amelia and Josh.

The three chatted until everyone else came to class.

Once everyone was present, Michelle took roll and played a few introductory games to get everyone acquainted with each other. She taught them the safe word, "butternut." After that, the class warmed up. When everyone was warmed up, Michelle separated the class into two groups. She told the first group to partner up and practice the skills they already knew. She worked with the second group to teach them new skills. Halfway through the class, she switched the groups and taught the first group new skills.

Amelia and Josh were in the first group. Annabelle was in the second group.

After working with both groups, Michelle announced that they will use the skills they already know and the skills they've just learned to improvise fights. She matched fight partners up by size, putting Annabelle and Amelia together.

Annabelle and Amelia's improvised fight scene was last.

Annabelle pretended to be an old woman, and Amelia pretended to be a mugger. They started the scene, Annabelle hunched over and walked slowly with a cane, making comments about bingo and cat food. Amelia grabbed her from behind and commanded her to hand over all of her money. Annabelle whirled around, swinging her cane at Amelia. Amelia jerked backward, skillfully dodging the cane. Unfortunately, she backed into the rope that closed off the combat area. She lost her balance, tripping over the rope and falling into the lake. Everyone gasped, and Annabelle dropped her cane and ducked under the rope. She hurried over to Amelia, who was flailing around in the water, and offered her hand.

"Let me help you," Annabelle said, holding her hand out towards Amelia.

"No, let _me_ help _you_!" Amelia responded, taking Annabelle's hand and pulling her into the lake.

"Hey! I was just trying to help you!" Annabelle exclaimed, splashing water in Amelia's face.

Amelia splashed water back into Annabelle's face. The two get into a splash fight, arguing and yelling at each other. Michelle ran over and broke up the fight. She pulled each girl out of the water and lectured them about the importance of spatial awareness.

"Now, girls, apologize and shake hands," Michelle instructed.

Annabelle and Amelia stood with their arms crossed and their backs turned away from each other. Neither turned around.

Michelle cleared her throat, " _Girls..._ "

Annabelle and Amelia sighed and rolled their eyes. They turned around and glared at each other. They stiffly apologized to one another, then engaged in a quick, unceremonious handshake.

* * *

 **I'm going to let you all vote! The musical options are:**

 _ **Phantom of the Opera**_

 _ **Into the Woods**_

 _ **Footloose**_

 _ **Grease**_

 _ **Les Misérables**_

 _ **Sound of Musical**_

 _ **Matilda the Musical**_

 _ **Heathers the Musical**_

 **So leave a review with your votes for the which two musicals should be done!**

 **And thanks for reading! :)**


	5. Poker and Prank Wars

~ The Next Day ~

Amelia and Annabelle had told their friends about the "Stage Fighting Lake Incident." Amelia's friends agreed that it was Annabelle's fault, while Annabelle's friends agreed it was Amelia's fault.

That night, Annabelle's bunkmate, 12-year-old Scarlett, heard about a some campers who were hosting a Poker game in the _Evita_ cabin. She told Annabelle about it. Annabelle, who happened to be a pretty skilled card player, having only lost three Poker games in her entire life, decided to check it out. She and her cabin mates gathered up all the objects they'd be willing to wager and headed to the _Evita_ cabin.

* * *

When Annabelle and her bunkmates arrived at the Poker game, they found campers from all different cabins hanging out and playing cards.

Amelia was starting to deal in new players for the next game when she saw Annabelle walk through the door. She stopped and glared.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Little Miss Pushy-Shovey, eh?" she said through gritted teeth.

"You falling into the lake was not my fault, but you are entitled to your own opinion," Annabelle said calmly, making Amelia even more annoyed.

Annabelle strode through the crowd of girls and stepped up to the table that the deck of Poker cards was on. She smirked and dropped a small drawstring purse full of quarters onto the table. She took two brand new bottles of nail polish out of her pocket and placed them onto the table as well. She pulled a few crumpled dollar bills, a California keychain, three Pintendo GS games, two Japanese erasers that were shaped like hamsters, and some unopened tubes of lipgloss out of her other pocket and added them to the pile of objects that people had wagered on the table. She smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Here's what I'm betting. So? You gonna deal me in or what?" she questioned, pushing her stuff towards Amelia.

Amelia struggled and took of her white baseball cap with a red maple leaf embroidered in the front. She added the hat to the pile. Her contribution to the betting pool also included a pair of aviator sunglasses, a pack of hair ties, a pack of bobby pins, an old phone case, and four pin-on buttons. She deftly shuffled the cards with her nimble fingers and dealt an even hand of cards to each Poker player.

After an intense, tension filled game, Annabelle wins.

* * *

~ The Next Morning ~

Annabelle and her friends were eating breakfast in the dining/mess hall. Amelia passed them and saw that Annabelle was wearing the hat she had won in last nights Poker game. Annabelle caught Amelia staring and gave a quick, subtle smirk. Amelia stomped away and went to her friends' table.

"I hate that girl!" an annoyed Amelia exclaimed, plopping her tray down next to Josh. She angrily shoved a piece of toast into her mouth. "That was my favorite baseball cap!" she said between bites of toast. She aggressively chewed her food.

"You shouldn't have bet your hat if you didn't want to risk losing it," Josh stated.

"Well, I was certain I'd win!" Amelia snapped, giving Josh a dirty look.

"Maybe you should be a little less cocky next time," Amanda suggested.

Amelia just frowned and continued eating in terse irritation.

* * *

Once breakfast was over, the campers had fifteen minutes of free time before their first class of the day began.

Annabelle and her cabinmate, Rowan, took advantage of their free time, using it to get ready for their Advanced Ballet Class.

Both girls had to follow strict guidelines for what they could wear to ballet class. They had the option of wearing either a black or pink leotard, and they could choose between wearing white, nude, black, or pink tights underneath their leotards. Depending on their level of advancement, they either had to wear pink ballet slippers or pointe shoes. Their hair was required to be worn in a bun that was tightly secured.

Annabelle choose to wear her black leotard with straps that crisscrossed in the black with a pair on pink tights. Rowan wore a pink halter-top leotard with a pair white tights. The two girls helped each other out their hair up into ballet buns that sat neatly on the crowns of their heads.

The girls decided to go to class early, so they can stretch at the barre.

* * *

Amelia noticed Annabelle and Rowan walking out of their cabin. She decided that this was the perfect opportunity to steal her baseball cap back.

She peeked into the cabin through a window and saw that it was empty. She texted her cabinmates, asking them to help her prank the _Phantom of the Opera_ cabin.

A few minutes later, Amanda, Cece, Rena, and Phoebe showed up in front of the _Phantom_ cabin.

"The cabin is completely empty. What do you say we play a few pranks on _Phantom_ friends?" Amelia suggested mischievously.

She was met with enthusiastic approval from her cabinmates, and everyone started spitting out prank ideas.

The girls finally decided to short-sheet each bunk.

Amanda, whose first class was Advanced Ballet, pulled a bobby pin out of her meticulously neat bun and used it to pick the cabin's lock.

The girls giggled as the entered the cabin. Cece, Phoebe, and Amanda got to work, short-sheeting all the bunks. Rena was the lookout. Amelia located Annabelle's monogrammed duffel bag and searched inside of it, hoping to find her hat. After a few minutes, she finds the baseball cap buried in a pile of dance clothes.

"Yes!" Amelia cheered triumphantly, putting her cap on.

Amelia's glory was quickly interrupted by an ear-splitting shriek.

Everyone whipped around towards the source of the shriek.

"There's a snake!" Rena exclaimed, pointing to a small garter snake. She had been on the cabin's porch, keeping an eye out for anyone who might catch them pranking the cabin.

"Oh, it's just a little garter snake. Don't worry. It's totally harmless," Cece explained.

Amelia started to smirk. She walked over to the snake and picked it up. She climbed onto Annabelle's bed and slipped the snake into the girl's pillowcase.

" _Nice!_ " Phoebe complimented with a devilish grin. She and Amelia high-fived one another.

Amanda checked her watch and notified everyone that they had five minutes to get to class.

The girls gave each other high-fives, then they left the cabin, locking the door behind them.

* * *

Since they had back-to-back classes that day, no one in the _Phantom_ cabin discovered what the _Evita_ cabin did until they were it was bedtime.

"Whew! I am exhausted! I can't wait to get into bed and sleep until morning!" Annabelle told her cabinmates.

"Tell me about it!" Carrie agreed.

The girls tried to get under their sheets, but they couldn't.

"Someone short-sheeted our beds!" announced Scarlett.

"I know exactly did it!" Annabelle grumbled with a scowl.

The annoyed girls muttered about the _Evita_ cabin as they fixed their sheets.

Once Annabelle had climbed into bed and fixed her sheets, she was finally ready to go to sleep. She laid her head on her pillow and felt something move. She screamed.

"What!?" exclaimed the cabin counselor, Christine.

"My pillow just moved!" Annabelle screeched.

She let out a blood-curdling scream when she saw a snake slither out of her pillowcase. She started freaking out, flailing and trying to get away from the snake. Unfortunately, she was too focused on the snake, and she didn't realize how close she was to the bed rail. The snake slithered towards her, and she jumped back, falling over the railing. She landed with a thud.

Everyone in the cabin gasped. Christine ran over to Annabelle and helped her up. She asked if she was okay, and Annabelle nodded.

"Some guard rail...that one _reeeaaally_ worked...a job well done," Annabelle grumbled sarcastically.

She said she was fine, but Christine insisted on taking her to the camp infirmary just to be on the safe side, so that's where they went. Scarlett dealt with the snake. She fearlessly picked it up and calmly put it back outside.

About half an hour later, Annabelle and Christine returned. Annabelle had a bag of ice, and her wrist was wrapped up in an ACE bandage. It was sprained.

Annabelle was certain that Amelia was behind the snake in her pillow case.

* * *

The next day, Annabelle vowed revenge on Amelia and also the _Evita_ cabin as a whole.

At lunchtime, the _Phantom_ cabin girls gathered in front of the _Evita_ cabin to exact their revenge.

Sierra and Sienna set about TP-ing the cabin with ACE bandages. They would've used toilet paper, but they wanted to pay homage to Annabelle's sprained wrist.

Carrie and Rowan started piling the _Evita_ cabin girls' bags outside, while Scarlett threw them onto the roof.

Annabelle replaced the _Evita_ playbill flag with a makeshift _Phantom of the Opera_ flag. The makeshift flag was made out of Annabelle's _Phantom of the Opera_ t-shirt, which was tied to a stick.

Once the cabin was covered in ACE bandages and all the bags were on the roof, Annabelle tossed the Evita flag onto the roof for good measure.

The girls admire their handiwork, high-five each other, then run to the dining/mess hall to catch the last twenty minutes of lunch.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Amelia, Phoebe, and Amanda had a free period, so they headed back to their cabin to change and relax before their next class.

"I cannot wait to get it of these sweaty dance clothes!" Phoebe said. She and Amanda were coming back from their upper-level lyrical dance class.

"Well, _I_ can't wait to get these character shoes off! My feet are killing me!" Amelia said. She was coming back from her Advanced Musical Theater class.

"It looks like both of you are gonna have to wait," Amanda stated. Phoebe and Amelia looked at her, confused. She pointed to their cabin.

Phoebe and Amelia turned their heads towards their cabin. Their mouths dropped open.

Their cabin was covered in ACE bandages. Their bags were on the roof. And, blowing in the light breeze, was a makeshift flag that prominently displayed the Phantom's mask.

"Oh, no, they didn't..." Phoebe whispered in shock.

" _Oh, yes. They did_ ," Amelia said through gritted teeth.

* * *

After forty-five minutes, Amelia, Phoebe, and Amanda got almost everyone's bags off of the roof.

Amelia, the most nimble, was designated as the one who would climb onto the roof and throw the bags down. Being the bold, fearless girl she was, she agreed — but not before she took a ton of pictures on her phone, so she could show the other girls in her cabin.

Neither Amanda nor Phoebe had a problem with Amelia leaving Lana's bags on the roof. Lana was the cabin's Mean Girl. No one really liked her.

The tree girls cleaned up the outside of their cabin and put their flag back in its rightful place.

They spent the rest of their free period scheming and coming up with a plan to get their revenge on the _Phantom of the Opera_ cabin.

* * *

Later that night, when they were certain all the other cabins were asleep, Cece, Amelia, Amanda, Phoebe, and Rena snuck out of their cabin and headed to the _Phantom_ cabin.

They thanked their lucky stars that Eva, their cabin counselor, was no longer staying in their cabin, since cabin counselor a only slept in their cabins for the first few days of camp.

Amanda picked the _Phantom_ cabin's lock, and she and her cabinmates silently crept inside and got to work.

* * *

The next morning, Annabelle was the first of her cabinmates to awake, as usual. She sat up and yawned, groggily looking around her cabin, which unbeknownst to her, had been booby-trapped and rigged the previous night by the _Evita_ cabin.

Annabelle went to climb down from the top bunk and felt something sticky on the ladder. She paused and rubbed her fingers together, examining syrupy substance on them. She smelled the substance. It was honey.

 _"Oh, good one, Amelia. You sure got me their time,"_ Annabelle sarcastically muttered under her breath. Rolling her eyes, she finished climbing down the ladder and started navigating her way through the lowlight to get her shower stuff.

Annabelle walked into a wire that was attached to the side of a box. She heard the sound of cardboard tearing and looked up. The force from her walking into the wire pulled on the wire that was stuck to the side of a box, making it rip off. The box, which was located in the cabin's rafters, contained water balloons filled with vegetable oil.

Annabelle was trying to make out the thing she saw in the rafters, unable to see it clearly in the dim light that the rising sun provided. Before she could figure out what was up there, water balloon started raining down on her. She flinched, trying to dodge the bombardment of water balloons. The balloons broke on impact, splattering vegetable oil everywhere when they hit the floor. The floor became so slick that Annabelle could hardly move without sliding around. She flinched at another falling balloon and slipped, falling onto her side. She groaned as a full-sized balloon full of oil fell on top of her, covering her head-to-toe in slimy oil.

Amelia and her cabinmates, who had been spying into the cabin from a window, were trying as hard as they could to stifle their laughter.

"HEY EVERYONE! WAKE UP!" Annabelle yelled.

Her cabinmates awoke with a start and stared at her.

"Guys, the entire cabin is booby-trapped," Annabelle warned. She carefully stood up and started slowly walking toward the center of the cabin, where the fan with a light cord was. She kept her eyes peeled for more traps and wires. She jumped up to pull the light cord but missed and grabbed the fan cord instead, turning the fan on. It started to snow feathers all over the cabin. Annabelle jumped up again and pulled the light cord, turning on the light that was attached to the fan.

As the room filled with light, she and her cabinmates saw the true extent of the rigging done by the _Evita_ cabin.

There were wires everywhere. There were so many wires, most of which crossed over each other and overlapped, that it was impossible to decipher which wires were rigged to what booby-traps. The only wire-free area was the path from the door to the ceiling fan.

Everyone in the cabin gasped.

Annabelle slipped again, accidentally activating a hidden wire that dropped a terrifying zombie mask inches away from Rowan's face.

Rowan screamed. She tried to carefully get out of bed, but her ankle got caught on a wire that caused several buckets to douse the wire-free path in vegetable oil. Annabelle was further drenched in oil, since she had been right underneath the fan.

Just sitting up in her bed caused Scarlett to trigger a wire that had been loosely draped over her chest. She inadvertently pulled at it while sitting up, causing a bucket of bright red non-toxic body paint to spill all over her.

"Looks like Scarlett really is scarlet," Amelia quipped, making her cabinmates giggle as they continued to watch the chaos.

The twins, Sierra and Sienna, had their hair laid straight out, dyed with temporary spray-on hair color, then saturated with hairspray so that it was rock-hard and stood up on its own. Sierra's hair was dyed neon pink, while Sienna's hair was dyed an electric blue color.

Carrie thought that she had been spared, but she didn't have her glasses on, and she walked into a wire. She ended up with an entire bottle of maple syrup being poured on her.

Amelia and her cabinmates could no longer contain themselves, and they burst into laughter.

Marjorie, the director of Camp Hippodrome, passed by as the Evita cabin girls were laughing and high-fiving each other.

The girls stopped laughing when realized Marjorie was headed towards the _Phantom_ cabin's door.

"The bucket!" they exclaimed simultaneously.

Amelia dashed to front of the _Phantom_ cabin and jumped in between Marjorie and the door.

"You DO NOT want to go in there!" she nervously warned the camp director.

Marjorie informed Amelia that there were surprise cabin inspections that morning and instructed the girl to move out of the way.

"I'm serious. You really don't want to go in there. They found a snake in there and made a huge mess while chasing it away. It looks like a tornado hit the cabin," Amelia lied. She quickly glanced up at the full five gallon bucket that was balanced precariously on the door frame. It was rigged to spill oatmeal made with lake water all over the person who opened the door.

Marjorie ignored Amelia's warning and tried to brush past her and reach for the doorknob.

Though it was only a split-second, Annabelle saw Amelia glance up at the bucket. She looked up and saw it. She stuck her head out one of the windows that was next to the door.

"Actually, Marjorie, we were just doing some last-minute tidying up in here. There weren't any snakes in here, at least, none that I know of...unless someone put one in here..." Annabelle told the camp director with a subtle smirk. She slid in between the door and the screen door and encouraged Marjorie to enter the cabin. Unfortunately, she slipped in the vegetable oil and fell forward, pushing the screen door open.

The bucket of lake water oatmeal dumped its contents all over Amelia and Annabelle.

Marjorie gasped.

Amelia and Annabelle jumped up and scrambled into the cabin in an attempt to lock Marjorie out from the inside. Their frantic scrambling was no match for the oil on the floor, and the began sliding down the wire-free path. They ran into a giant inflatable sack of flour, which exploded, coating the entire cabin in a layer of white powder.

Marjorie's eyes narrowed into slits.

"YOU TWO!" she screeched angrily. She pointed to Annabelle and Amelia, "YOU'RE GOING STRAIGHT TO THE ISOLATION CABIN! _NOW_!"

* * *

Holy cow, this was a long one! As always, thank you for reading and don't forget to review! :)


	6. The Isolation Cabin

As soon as the campers in the _Evita_ cabin and the _Phantom of the Opera_ cabin finished cleaning up the mess in the _Phantom_ cabin, Marjorie marched Annabelle and Amelia down an overgrown trail to the Isolation Cabin.

The Isolation Cabin was where unruly and mischievous campers stayed if they got into trouble. Next to expulsion, being sent to the Isolation Cabin was the most severe punishment.

When they got to the Isolation Cabin, Annabelle and Amelia gasped.

The cabin was in complete disrepair. The porch was missing a step. The wood was starting to decay. Several shingles on the roof were missing. Many of the screens for the windows were torn or missing. A thick film of dust clung to the windows. There was a tiny outdoor shower, which as next to an outhouse.

The inside of the cabin was no better. It was cramped and stuffy. Everything was covered in dust. There was no ceiling fan. The two twin beds looked like they hadn't been touched in years. The chipped paint on the walls had faded to a dirty pale cream color. There were cobwebs in the corners of the cabin.

"We have to live _here_?" Amelia questioned, looking at the Isolation Cabin with disgust.

"Yup!" Marjorie told the girl with a nod. She then left the girls by themselves in the decrepit Isolation Cabin.

Annabelle and Amelia dropped their bags onto the floor of the cabin, and a big puff of dust rose, making the girls cough. They glared at one another.

"THIS IS ALL _YOUR_ FAULT! ... _MY_ FAULT!? ... YES, IT'S _YOUR_ FAULT! ... STOP THAT!" the girls simultaneously yelled at each other. They stopped shouting and stared at each other, then they backed a step away.

"Well, _that_ was weird..." Annabelle awkwardly commented.

"Yeah, _really_ weird," Amelia agreed.

* * *

Annabelle skipped lunch that day to clean up the Isolation Cabin. She swept all of the dust and cobwebs out and washed the windows. She opened up the windows, trying to air out the cabin and get rid of the dank smell it had. Then, she tidied up her side of the cabin. She changed the sheets on her bed and used the old sheets to create a curtain, which she hung up in the middle of the cabin.

After cleaning up her side, Annabelle decided to tidy up Amelia's side as a peace offering. She folded all of the clothing that was strewn around the cabin. Amelia had thrown the entirety of her clothing out of her suitcase in a rush to find a leotard for her Advanced Ballet Class.

As Annabelle picked up clothing, folded it, and put it back on Amelia's bag, she came across a folded-up piece of paper with a torn edge. She picked it up and placed it inside the front cover of the journal that Amelia had laid out on her bed. It looked important, so she wanted to prevent it from getting picked up by the light breeze that blew through the cabin and being carried out of one of the open windows.

Once Annabelle was finished tidying up Amelia's side, she admired her handiwork. She mentally patted herself on the back for her cleaning job.

The once gross and grimy cabin was now nice and neat.

Finished with her cleanup, Annabelle checked her watch. She saw that she had fifteen minutes until her next class, which was an upper-level tumbling class. She changed out of her camp uniform, which was now dirty after being worn during her cabin-cleanup. She slipped into the new dance wear that she bought at the camp store: a purple bra top that had "Camp Hippodrome" printed across the front in rhinestones and black spandex dance shorts. She then put on a fresh uniform polo shirt and a pleated khaki skirt because campers weren't allowed to walk around wearing just dance clothing.

Before leaving, Annabelle took all of the stuff she won from Amelia during the Poker game a few days ago and put it on the tiny nightstand next to the girl's bed. Then, she took the baseball cap she won out of her bag and placed it on Amelia's bed, next to her journal.

* * *

Later that day, after classes were over, auditions were held for the two musicals that Camp Hippodrome was performing at the end of the summer. The musicals were _Into the Woods_ and _Matilda the Musical_. Campers could choose which musical they wanted to audition for if they were interested in being part of the tradition end-of-summer musical. _Into the Woods_ auditions were being held in Sondheim Theater, while the _Matilda_ auditions were being held in the Andrew Lloyd Webber Theater.

Annabelle had signed up to audition for _Into the Woods_ because she was already starring in the title role in _Matilda_ on Broadway. Amelia had signed up to audition for _Matilda_ because she had recently played Little Red Riding Hood in a live television production of _Into the Woods_.

Campers were asked prepare sixteen bars of any song from a musical (except the one they were auditioning for) to audition with. Annabelle sang "I Know It's Today" from _Shrek the Musical_ for her sang "Holding Out for a Hero" from _Footloose_ for her audition.

* * *

When Annabelle came back to the Isolation Cabin after her audition, she found the inside of the cabin littered with the contents of two out of Amelia's three suitcases. Amelia was frantically searching through her third suitcase, flinging her clothing out of it with reckless abandon.

"Aww man! I just folded all of that..." Annabelle groaned to herself, wincing every time an article of immaculately folded clothing was tossed to the floor.

Amelia heard Annabelle speak just as her hand closed around her favorite pair of scissors (to carefully move them out of the way), which were at the bottom of her suitcase.

"You! You went through my stuff and stole it, didn't you? Where is it!?" Amelia exclaimed, whipping around to face Annabelle. She had her scissors pointed in Annabelle's direction.

"Whoa!" Annabelle said with her hands up, like she was surrendering. She slowly stepped towards Amelia, her hands still up. "I didn't steal anything. In fact, I returned the stuff I won in Poker. All I did was tidy up your side of the cabin and fold the clothing that you flung out of your suitcase when you were looking for your leotard. Cleaning up the cabin was sort of my version of calling a truce," she calmly informed Amelia.

Amelia jumped up. She accusatively pointed her scissors at Annabelle.

"Don't play dumb with me! Where is my photo!?" she questioned.

"You mean the folded-up picture?" Annabelle asked, walking towards Amelia's bed. She opened the cover of her cabinmate's journal. She carefully picked up the folded photo and handed it an irate Amelia. "I found it when I was picking up your clothing. It looked important, so I tucked it in your journal so it wouldn't fly away in the breeze from the open windows. I meant to tell you about it, but we didn't cross paths until now," she explained.

Amelia let out a huge sigh of relief. She dropped her scissors on her bed and hugged the picture close to her heart. She looked at Annabelle.

"I'm sorry I went off on you. This picture really means a lot to me. It's the only photo I have of my mom...Well, besides the one in my locket, but that picture is too small for the my mom's face to be recognizable. Thank you for keeping it safe...and cleaning the cabin," Amelia said to Annabelle.

"No problem," Annabelle replied. She was curious about Amelia only having one picture of her mother, but she knew better than to pry, so she said nothing about it. She did, however, apologize for throwing Amelia's luggage on the roof of her cabin. Amelia apologized for pranking Annabelle's cabin.

The two girls stood in awkward silence.

"So...Do you watch _Game of Thrones_?" Annabelle asked, breaking the silence.

"I've read all the books. Even though my dad watches the show, he won't let me watch it. But that doesn't stop me! I have every episode on my PearPad. My dad never looks at his PearTunes bill, so he doesn't know a thing. I think I'd be in House Lannister or House Targaryen," Amelia answered with a mischievous smirk.

"I read all the books too! I'd probably be in House Stark. I watch the show with my mom. Whenever there's a new episode airing, we have this tradition where we make a big bowl of kettle corn and a batch of pancakes to eat while we watch it. My mom loves _Game of Thrones_. She thinks it's really funny when people die. She's kinda weird like that," Annabelle said.

Amelia pulled out her PearPad and asked if Annabelle wanted to watch _Game of Thrones_ with her. Annabelle gladly accepted Amelia's invitation. She grabbed a giant container of Nutella and some spoons. She confessed to Amelia that she often liked eating Nutella straight out of the jar. Amelia admitted that she ate Nutella straight from the jar all the time too. Annabelle offered Amelia some Nutella, and the two sat on Amelia's bed with the PearPad between, sharing a jar of Nutella.

As they watched _Game of Thrones_ , the girls discussed the books versus the television show and their favorite characters. Annabelle's favorite character was Daenerys Targaryen. Amelia's favorite character was Arya Stark. She also liked Jon Snow becuase he was cute and because he had fluffy hair like her father. The girls also discussed their least favorite characters. They both agreed that Ramsay Bolton and Joffrey Baratheon were tied for the worst character. Annabelle thought that this was funny because those two characters happened to be her mother's favorites.

"Does your dad like _Game of Thrones_ too?" Amelia asked.

Annabelle sighed sadly. She bit her lip.

"I don't have a dad...Well, I mean, I do have a dad, but I've never met him before," Annabelle admitted.

"Oh...I'm sorry about that. What happened to him?" Amelia asked.

"I don't know. My mom refuses to talk about him. All I know is his name," Annabelle responded with a shrug.

"That's suckish. My dad doesn't like talking about my mom. Once, he threatened to take away my favorite pair of scissors because I kept asking about her. He only told me her name. I didn't even know what my mom looked like until I found that picture of her while packing for when we move to Los Angeles. My dad let me keep it. He thought that doing so would make me stop asking about my mom. It's a pathetic little picture. It's not even a whole picture. It's ripped down the middle," Amelia told Annabelle. She could empathize with her cabinmate.

Annabelle hopped off of Amelia's bed and started rummaging around through one of her bags. She grabbed a metal tin, opened it up, and took out a folded-up piece of paper. She held it close to her heart and turned around.

"This is the only picture that I have of my dad. And it's ripped right down the middle, just like yours..." Annabelle said to Amelia.

"Okay, this is freaky. I only have a dad, and you only have a mom. We're the same age. People keep mixing us up. And we both have only one photo of our other parent, and the photo is ripped down the middle..." Amelia said.

"On the count of three we show each other out pictures?" Annabelle suggested.

Amelia agreed and grabbed her photo. They unfolded their pictures and turned them over, so the other couldn't see it. Then, they counted to three.

As soon as said three, they flipped their photos over.

The two pictures' torn edges matched perfectly. Annabelle was holding a picture of Amelia's father, Beck Oliver. Amelia was holding a picture of Annabelle's mother, Jade West. Both girls gasped.

"That's my mom," Amelia said in awe.

"That's my dad," Annabelle said in awe.

"Wait! Do you have a locket?" Amelia asked, her hand on her own locket. Annabelle nodded and told Amelia that she's had one since she was born. She told her that she's never taken it off. Amelia told Annabelle that she's never taken her locket off either.

The girls compared their lockets. They had identical golden heart-shaped charms that opened up to reveal a tiny picture of their parents. The lockets hung on a matching gold chain. Inscribed on the back of each locket were the words: "To my dearest Annabelle/Amelia ... With love, Mom and Dad". Annabelle's locket said "To my dearest Annabelle", while Amelia's said "To my dearest Amelia."

The girls stared at each other in shock.

"So, we...We must be, like, sisters," said a flabbergasted Amelia.

"We aren't just sisters. We're twins!" Annabelle exclaimed.

"This is just like _The Parent Trap_!" Amelia joked.

The girls hugged each other tightly.

"I can't believe I have a sister!" Annabelle and Amelia simultaneously said, as they pulled away from their hug.

* * *

 **Ah, yes... _Game of Thrones_ bringing people together. As always, thanks for reading, and please review! :)**


	7. A Brilliant Beyond Brilliant Idea

"I have a brilliant beyond brilliant idea!" Amelia suddenly exclaimed in the middle of the night. She flipped the switch by her bed, filling the Isolation Cabin with light She shot up out of bed and began pacing as she thought her idea through.

Annabelle shielded her eyes. She squinted, trying to adjust her eyes to the sudden brightness. She blinked and looked at her sister.

That night, the sheet that divided the cabin into separate sides had been taken down.

"What's your idea?" Annabelle asked groggily.

"So, you've always wanted to meet dad...and I've always wanted to meet mom, right?" Amelia said.

"Where are you going with this?" Annabelle questioned warily.

Amelia stopped pacing and looked at her twin sister with an excited grin.

"What if we switched places? I'll go to New York when camp ends, and you'll go to L.A.!" she said. She was so excited that she was bouncing in place.

Annabelle hopped out of bed and walked over to Amelia. She put her hands on Amelia's shoulders and stopped the girl's bouncing. She looked at her very seriously.

"Amelia, that would never work! This isn't _The Parent Trap_! We can't just switch places like that!" she told her sister.

"Oh, come on! We're identical twins...at a performing arts camp...and one of our specialties is acting. How could this _not_ work!? We can definitely pull this off!" Amelia replied. She got on her knees and looked up at Annabelle. "Please! I can't let this opportunity slip out of my hands. I gotta meet mom. And I know you're dying to meet dad.." she begged. She gave her Annabelle her best puppy dog eyes.

Annabelle sighed. She pointed out that they were at slightly different levels of dance and tumbling. Amelia told her that they'd attend each other's classes to get up to par with one another's skills. Annabelle pointed out the fact that she had a slight New York accent. Amelia did a dead-on impression of her twin sister. Annabelle stated that they had completely different acting styles. Amelia said that they'd be each other's acting coaches. It seemed as if Amelia had a solution to each and every problem that Annabelle brought up.

"Okay, I'm in. I'll switch places with you," Annabelle finally agreed.

Amelia let out a squeal of joy, and the twins hugged each other tightly. They decided to continue talking about their plan in the morning, then they went back to bed. As she crawled back into bed, Amelia turned off the lights. Annabelle snuggled back into her bed, wrapping her sheets around her.

"Hey, Amelia?" Annabelle said softly as her eyes started to drift closed.

"Yeah?" Amelia responded.

"You have Advanced Ballet Class first thing tomorrow morning," Annabelle told her sister with a small yawn.

Then, the two twins were out like a light.

* * *

The next morning, Annabelle was surprised to see Amelia awake before her. Amelia, who was already showered and dressed, sat on her bed, quietly journaling. She wore Annabelle's black leotard and pink tights, and she had her long raven-colored hair pulled back in a tight ballet bun.

"I didn't expect to see you up this early," Annabelle told her twin sister.

"Yes, but people would expect to see _you_ up this early," Amelia replied.

"Ah, good thinking! By the way, that leotard looks great on us!" Annabelle said. She paused for a second. "Well, I guess this means I should go back to bed..." she commented, climbing back into her bed. She rolled over and went back to sleep.

* * *

Breakfast was almost over when Annabelle woke up again. She quickly threw on Amelia's ringer tee uniform shirt and a pair of athletic shorts and rapidly dashed to the dining/mess hall. She found Amelia eating a balanced breakfast that consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, and half of a grapefruit. Annabelle grabbed a a piece of toast, a miniature box of Fruit Hoops, and a glass of orange juice, before heading to the Isolation Table.

Along with being stuck in the Isolation Cabin for the rest of camp, Annabelle and Amelia had to eat every meal together at the Isolation Table.

"Fruit Hoops and toast? Now that's a breakfast that I approve of!" Amelia remarked, as Annabelle plopped her tray down.

"I figured that this is what you'd eat," Annabelle responded, taking a bite of toast. She peeked at the binder Amelia had been reading from and asked what it was. Amelia answered that she had found her twin's _Matilda_ script while she was looking for her leotard and was studying it for when she went back to New York. Annabelle asked if there were any scripts that she should study. Amelia pulled a _Shields: L.A._ script out of Annabelle's dance bag. She slid it across the table to her sister and told her that she would be playing the mayor's daughter, who gets taken hostage in a two-episode arch. The girls studied their scripts as they finished breakfast.

* * *

After breakfast was over, Amelia headed over to Advanced Ballet Class, masquerading as Annabelle. Meanwhile, Annabelle went back to the Isolation Cabin to change for Amelia's first day of Camp Delta.

Camp Hippodrome shared their property with a horse stable. The stable taught people how to ride, and they trained equines to do stunts and tricks for movies and television shows. They also offered an add-on package for Camp Hippodrome campers, allowing them to split their time between the two camps. Amelia had signed up for two weeks of the Western riding camp. Back home, she two Quarter Horses, Scout and Dude. Annabelle had signed up for two weeks of the English riding camp. In New York, she had two ponies who were boarded at a nearby equestrian center. The two girls decided to switch places at riding camp, so they could get used to the other's different style of horseback riding.

Annabelle tugged on a pair of Amelia's skinny jeans, then pulled on her sister's cowgirl boots over the jeans. She dug through Amelia's messy duffel bag and found a cowgirl hat. She grabbed the hat and headed towards the barn.

* * *

Amelia was warming up at the barre when the Advanced Ballet instructor, Helen, entered the dance studio. She greeted her teacher and continued warming up.

Once the other students arrived and warmed up, Helen started the class. She had everyone change into their pointe shoes. She taught everyone a short ballet routine and let them practice it.

Amelia went to a corner to work on the routine. She pliéd and did one pirouette en pointe. She pliéd again, then started doing battements en pointe, gracefully swinging her leg in the air. She did a grande jeté, then she did four fouetté turns en pointe. She landed her turns and did a brisé, changing from fifth position to second position in the air. She did chaînés turns en demi-pointe, then finished the routine with an arabesque.

Helen came over to watch Amelia, who she thought was Annabelle, do the routine and give corrections. Her only correction for Amelia was to remember to turn out her legs, which was the same correction that she kept giving to Annabelle.

"Excellent, Annabelle! Just remember to turn those legs out like I keep telling you," Helen told the girl. She had Amelia do the routine again, this time with the correction her gave her.

Amelia did the routine again, turning out her legs and received high praise from Helen.

"Wow, I guess I'm better at ballet than I thought..." Amelia mumbled to herself.

* * *

When Annabelle got to the barn, she was greeted by a camp counselor named Jenny. Jenny directed the small girl towards the barn office, so she could find out which horse she had been assigned to.

Annabelle was told by the barn manager that her assigned horse was Harley. She thanked the woman and quickly scurried off to her horse's stall.

As Annabelle walked up to Harley's stall, a massive grey Thoroughbred swung his head over the Dutch door and stuck his head over the opened top door. He nickered at Annabelle. She greeted the horse with a gentle pat on the nose. She picked up Harley's grooming kit and placed it on the stall door. The container that held he grooming supplies was separated into four compartments with spaces in between each compartment, allowing it to rest on a stall door.

Annabelle slipped into the stall and got to work. Up close, Harley looked even bigger. He was at least seventeen hands tall. Since a hand was four inches, Harley was about sixty-eight inches tall at the withers. The top of Annabelle's head reached the horse's shoulder. The tiny forty-five inch tall girl was dwarfed even further by the giant horse. Annabelle wondered how she was going to lift a heavy saddle onto Harley's back.

Once Annabelle had finished grooming Harley, she left his stall and locked it. She walked down to the barn office and asked for help with tacking up her horse. Jenny followed the tiny girl back to Harley's stall.

Jenny grabbed the thick saddle pad off of the saddle peg that was outside of Harley's stall. She entered the stall and gently placed it on the horse's back, at his withers. She then placed the heavy Western saddle on top of the saddle pad and tightened the cinch. Annabelle paid close attention to everything that Jenny did. She assumed that next time, she'd be expected to tack up her horse alone.

Annabelle thanked Jenny for her help, then slipped the hackamore bridle onto Harley's head herself. Then, Jenny told her where to go, and she led her horse to the large outdoor riding arena. She had Jenny give her a leg-up, so she could mount her horse. Once she was situated, Jenny helped the tiny girl adjust her stirrups, before leaving to help another rider.

After everyone was situated, the riding instructor had everyone warm up their horses. The riders began walking in a circle around the ring. Annabelle looked around at the other riders and wondered how she happened to be assigned to the tallest horse in the group. She had to keep reminding herself to relax her seat and go with the flow. She also had to get used to riding with longer stirrups. When the instructor asked everyone to start trotting, Annabelle found herself posting along to the beat of Harley's trot. She earned herself a few strange looks from her fellow riders, and she quickly stopped before the instructor noticed.

During her riding lesson, Annabelle and the group worked on transitioning from one gait to another.

By the end of the lesson, Annabelle had grown better accustomed to the Western style of riding, and she no longer felt like she was reaching for her stirrups.

* * *

After dinner, the campers were free for the rest of the night. They could hang out in the cabins, practice routines in the dance studios, use the music rooms, and hang out almost anywhere on Camp Hippodrome's property until curfew, which was at 8:30 PM for Amelia and Annabelle's division. The girls chose to hang out in their cabin.

Amelia was sketching out diagrams of her new house when Annabelle entered the cabin with her hair wrapped up in a towel.

"Showering at night? Wow, you're becoming more like me by the minute!" Amelia said to Annabelle.

Annabelle peeked over Amelia's shoulder and asked what she was drawing. Amelia told her twin that she was making her a map of her new house in Los Angeles, inspiring Annabelle to start drawing a diagram of her own house for Amelia. The two girls sat side-by-side, drawing peacefully.

Once they were both finished with their house maps, they presented them to each other. Amelia had never actually been to her new mansion, so she based her presentation on what the home listing said. Annabelle, who had lived in her New York brownstone for as long as she could remember, based her presentation on her memory.

After their presentations, Annabelle and Amelia hung up their diagrams next to their beds. Then, they discussed the important people in their life. Amelia told Annabelle about her manny, Samuel, and Annabelle told Amelia about her French au pair, Cecelia. They talked about their pets. Amelia had a Rottweiler named Bruiser. Annabelle had two guinea pigs named Alice and Timothy. They told each other about their schedules and habits and important things to know about their parents.

While the twins talked, they drew diagrams, wrote lists, and made charts of all the things they needed to remember. They hung those up too. Soon, the walls of the Isolation Cabin were covered in drawings, diagrams, lists, and charts.

* * *

 **Hi everyone! Thank you for reading! Please review! :)**


	8. The Switch

After coaching each other for the remaining seven weeks of camp, Annabelle and Amelia were finally ready to set their plan in motion. Annabelle would fly back to Los Angeles to meet her father. Amelia would fly back to Manhattan to meet her mother.

The final weeks of camp flew by. The girls attended some of each other's classes, and they worked hard to study and learn every aspect of one another's life. They learned each other's unique mannerisms and sayings, and they were able to pass off as one another almost flawlessly. They finished off their last few days of camp with a bang. Annabelle performed as Little Red Riding Hood in Camp Hippodrome's production of _Into the Woods_ , and Amelia performed as Matilda in the camp's production of _Matilda the Musical_.

The girls were devastated when the final day of camp arrived.

* * *

"Okay, so you're going to find out how mom and dad met," Amelia said to Annabelle. She was wearing Annabelle's crisply ironed pale pink Oxford shirts, which was tucked into a pair of cuffed khaki shorts. She had her long raven locks tied back with a bow that matched the color of her shirt, and she wore a broken-in pair of boat shoes on her feet.

"Right, and you're going to find out why they broke up," Annabelle said back to Amelia. She was dressed in Amelia's white and black ringer tee, which had two cherries embroidered onto the upper left chest. She paired the shirt with a pair of Amelia's denim cut-offs and her twin's signature red Converse high-tops.

The two girls hugged tightly and promised to text each other everyday. They switched phones and lockets. Then, they went their separate ways. Annabelle hopped onto the shuttle that was taking a group of kids to the airport, while Amelia stayed back to wait for the airport shuttle that was bringing kids who had later flights.

Annabelle stuck her head or the window and waved goodbye to Amelia as the shuttle bus started up and pulled out of Camp Hippodrome's parking lot. Amelia waved back and crossed her fingers hopefully.

* * *

For the duration of Annabelle's two hour flight, she reviewed the details of Amelia's life.

When the flight landed, she excitedly packed up her journal that contained her notes and shoved them back into her carry-on backpack. She eagerly bounded off of the plane, thanking the pilot and flight attendants on her way out. She headed straight for the board that listed the arrivals and departures and looked for her baggage claim. As she walked to baggage claim A4, she turned on Amelia's PearPhone and saw an incoming text from her father. It said that he was waiting for her at the baggage claim.

The tiny girl carefully navigated the large airport, giving herself time to plan what she would say and how she would say it, and she made it to the baggage claim just as the last of her flight's luggage was being put on the baggage carousel. She searched around for her father and spotted him just as he was grabbing the last of her three suitcases.

Her father looked just like he did in her picture.

Beck Oliver had hardly changed since his time at Hollywood Arts. He still had his long fluffy hair and carefree attitude. He still dressed himself in ripped jeans, work boots, and flannel. He looked just like he did ten years ago.

Annabelle smile giddily. She took a deep breath and put her hand to her locket, stroking it for good luck, just like Amelia would.

"Dad!" the girl cried out joyously, running to her father. She jumped into his outstretched arms and hugged him like she would never let go.

"Amelia!" Beck exclaimed happily, picking up his tiny daughter and spinning her around. He placed a big kiss on her forehead before putting her down.

"Wow, Dad! It's really you!" Amelia said breathlessly.

"It really is me, kiddo! Ready to go home?" Beck replied.

Annabelle nodded, and the two picked up her suitcases and headed to the car.

* * *

Amelia had a full two hours and fifteen minutes of extra flight time to study Annabelle's life. She spent the entire time reviewing and quizzing herself on the precise details of her twin's life. By the end of the four hour and fifteen minute flight, she was all packed up and raring to go. She practically bolted off the plane as soon as she could, barely remembering to thank the pilot, like Annabelle would do.

She breezed past the flight information boards, skillfully weaving her way through crowds of people. She dashed over to the baggage claims, making it there in record time. She scanned the area for her mother and quickly spotted her impatiently tapping her foot.

Her mother looked exactly like her picture.

Jade West had barely changed since she had left Hollywood Arts. She still wore mostly black and had colorful streaks in her hair. She still had her eyebrow piercing and her nose piercing. She was still the same badass that she was ten years ago.

Amelia let out a tiny squeal of excitement at the sight of her mother. Then, in a very Annabelle-like fashion, she skipped over to her.

"Mom!" an ecstatic Amelia called out.

"Annabelle!" Jade greeted back with a huge smile on her face. She picked her daughter up and hugged her close. Amelia wrapped her arms around her mother in a long overdue hug. Jade kissed her daughter on the cheek then set her down.

"I missed you, mom. I've really missed you," Amelia said, marveling in the presence of her mother. She hugged Jade again.

"I missed you too, honey!" Jade told her daughter, hugging her back.

The two chatted about camp while they waited for Amelia's bags to show up on the badge carousel. Once they had her bags in tow, they headed towards the car.

* * *

"So...tell me, Squirt, how was camp?" Beck asked as he put his daughter's final suitcase in the trunk of his vintage Corvette.

"It was amazing, Dad! I met this phenomenal girl! She was quite lovely!" Annabelle excitedly told her father. She hopped into the passenger seat of the car and buckled in.

"'Phenomenal girl'? 'Quite lovely'? My, my! Don't you sound proper!" Beck joked, closing the trunk. He opened up the door to the driver's seat and got in.

Annabelle blushed.

"What did you do while you were at camp?" Beck asked.

He and Annabelle talked about Camp Hippodrome for the whole ride home.

* * *

"Thanks for all those texts you sent me while you were away. I knew that unlimited data plan that you just _had_ to have would come in handy," Jade joked, as she slid into the driver's seat.

"Well, we meant to write, but-" Amelia started to say.

 _"We?"_ Jade asked with a raised eyebrow, cutting her daughter off.

"Oh! Umm...Yes! _We!_ This girl I met at camp...we became really close...practically like sisters!" Amelia blurted out, her cheeks flushing bright red. She gave her mother an awkward grin.

"Uh huh..." Jade said with a nod.

"Yup!" Amelia said.

"So...how was camp?" Jade asked.

She and Amelia discussed Camp Hippodrome as they went home.

* * *

 **Woohoo! Beck and Jade are finally in the story! Yay! Thanks for reading, and please review! :)**


	9. Welcome Home

As Beck pulled into the long driveway of his new mansion, Annabelle gasped in awe. She marveled at her new surroundings. The house was massive. It had two stories and a finished basement. It had a very modern look to it. The roof was flat and had a glass barrier around it. It could be used as a deck and was accessed by a set of stairs on the top level. There was a pool in the backyard and a spacious patio area with lounge chairs. Behind the mansion was a four-stall barn. It looked a little bit out of place, but Amelia had begged her father to let their horses stay on their property, so he had the barn built. Each stall of the barn had two doors. The front door opened up from inside the barn. The back door opened up into a large pasture shared by all the horses.

Annabelle excitedly hopped out of the car, looking around at her new house. She was glad that Amelia had never seen the house in person before because it meant that she didn't have to hide her amazement when she looked around.

"Amelia!" a happy voice called out.

Annabelle spun around and saw a young man, who was slightly older than her father, coming towards her with open arms. She remembered that he was Samuel, Amelia's live-in manny. She smiled and ran into his arms.

"Samuel!" she exclaimed, hugging the man.

"My goodness! It's been so long! Have you gotten taller? Oh, it's so great to have you back!" Samuel said to the girl.

"It's great to see you, Samuel," Annabelle replied.

"I made you your favorite dinner: chili with homemade cornbread," Samuel told Annabelle.

"Awesome!" Annabelle said.

"Did I hear something about cornbread and chili?" Beck asked hopefully as he passed by, carrying Annabelle's luggage.

Samuel told him that it was on the stove. He then asked if Annabelle wanted to eat first or unpack first or if she wanted to eat while she unpacked. Annabelle chose to unpack first, and Samuel took her to her new room.

Amelia's room was spacious. There was a queen-sized wooden bed with a large assortment of stuffed animals on it. Beck had placed his daughter's suitcases near her closet. Annabelle scooped the clothing out of the first suitcase and dumped them in the dirty clothes hamper in the corner of her room. She left the rest of her clothes in their suitcases. She would just pick clothing out of them when she needed them, much like Amelia would.

Finished with "unpacking", Annabelle hopped on Amelia's bed and took out her phone. She was laying on her stomach and was about to text her twin sister when Beck walked into the room. He was holding a bowl of chili in one hand and medium-sized box in the other. The box was wrapped in bright green wrapping paper, and it had a white bow tied around it.

"Hey, kiddo, I got you a little homecoming present," Beck said, holding the box out towards Annabelle.

"Cool! Thanks, Dad!" Annabelle said, taking the box. She untied the bow and carefully unwrapped the bow, which Beck thought was strange because his daughter never opened gifts this neatly. Annabelle knew that Amelia really liked drinking and making tea and that she had wanted her own tea maker for a really long time. She too enjoyed tea, so she didn't have to fake an excited reaction to her father's gift. She opened the box and found an electronic tea infuser as well as four boxes of expensive gourmet tea. She smiled and threw her arms around Beck. "Thanks, Dad! I love it!" she exclaimed.

Beck smiled and told Annabelle that he was glad she liked her gift.

* * *

Wide-eyed, Amelia stared out of the car window as Jade parallel parked in front of her enormous brownstone. The brownstone was made from dark reddish-colored bricks. It had bay windows on each floor of the left side, making it stick out more. A steep set of stairs led to the front door. The brownstone had a very vintage look and feel to it.

Amelia helped Jade bring in her bags from camp. She nearly dropped the bags on her mother's foot when she saw the inside of the house. She was in awe, not noticing when Jade told her that she would be finishing up some work in her room.

The interior of the brownstone was just as beautiful as the outside. Each room had crisp white crown molding along the walls. There was a beautiful array of elegant furniture in every room, and all the rooms were adorned with stunning decorations. While elegant, some of the furniture and decorations were a little bit bizarre. Jade wanted her home to express some of her macabre interests. While house's interior also had a vintage look and feel to it, it was darker and spookier than the exterior.

Amelia had plopped her bags down by the front door and abandoned them. She was much more interested in looking around. She looked at her mother's theater awards, which hung on the walls. She stared at the decorations around the house. She was admiring a human skull that Jade had used as a centerpiece for her coffee table when she heard a French voice call out.

"Ma chérie!" the voice said.

Amelia whipped around and saw a young woman with sandy blonde hair coming towards her.

"Ma petite chérie!" the woman said, hugging Amelia tightly.

"Cecilia!" Amelia exclaimed, remembering what Annabelle had told her about having a French au pair.

"You've grown since I saw you last! How are you?" Cecilia said in her thick French accent.

"I'm great. How are you?" Amelia replied.

"I am also great! Now, what would you like to do? Eat? Unpack? Neither?" Cecelia said.

"I think I'd like to look around...it's been so long since I've been home. I've missed this house," Amelia said, covering for the fact that she just really wanted to explore her new surroundings.

Cecilia accepted the girl's answer and asked Amelia if she would like her to unpack for her. Amelia told Cecilia that she could unpack for her, and she thanked her for her help. Cecilia nodded, grabbed Amelia's bags, and headed upstairs. Amelia was relieved because she wouldn't have to fold and put away her clothes, like Annabelle would. She would normally just dump them in her closet or keep her suitcase open in a corner of her room and take clothing from it as she needed.

Amelia continued looking around the house. She was in love with everything. She loved the creepy human skull on the coffee table. She loved Jade's framed collection of dead butterflies. She loved Jade's articulated cat skeleton. Each thug she saw seemed to be better than the last. She didn't think that the brownstone could be any cooler until she stumbled upon a door that was tucked away in a corner. It had a sign on it that said "DO NOT ENTER", so she assumed that it was a just coat closet or a bathroom that was under construction since Annabelle told her that Jade was planning to do some work on the house. Ignoring the sign, Amelia checked out the room. Her jaw hit the floor when she opened the door.

"OH MY GOD!" Amelia exclaimed loudly, gasping.

Jade heard her daughter shout and scrambled downstairs. She found Amelia standing in front of the open door with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.

"What's wrong!? What happened!?" Jade questioned.

Her mother's voice snapped Amelia out of her state of astonishment.

"What? Oh, uh, nothing. This room is amazing!" Amelia told Jade as she stepped through the doorway.

One wall of the room was adorned with the sigils of each of the Noble Houses in Westeros. An assortment of swords hung on the back wall. There was a large flat screen television above a fireplace. The mantle of the fireplace was decorated with replicas of Daenerys' dragon eggs. Along with the dragon eggs, Amelia saw an oblong velvet-covered box on the mantle. In the far left corner, there was a $30,000 life-sized replica of the Iron Throne. There was also a plushy black couch in front of the television. Banners for House Bolton, House Lannister, House Targaryen, and House Stark hung on each of the four walls. The room was any _Game of Thrones_ fan's dream place.

"Aww! This was supposed to be a surprise!" Jade whined.

Amelia was too engrossed in the room to pay attention to what her mother was saying.

"This room is amazing! Did you do all this?" she said breathlessly.

Jade smiled.

"I'm glad you like it! I had to do something while you were away...I figured that we could start having our traditional new episode viewings in here from now on..." she told her daughter. She walked over to the fireplace and picked up the velvet box. "Hey, Annabelle, come here. I have something for you," she said to her daughter.

Amelia scampered away from the Iron Throne, which she had been admiring. She met her mom at the fireplace. Jade knelt down in front of her daughter. She held the long box out towards Amelia.

"Now, this is not a toy. You are not allowed to play around with it. You need to be extremely careful with it," Jade told her daughter. She looked at Amelia very sternly. "Do you promise not to mess around with what I'm about to give you?" she asked seriously.

Amelia nodded eagerly.

"Alright..." Jade said. She carefully removed the box's lid, letting Amelia see what was inside. Amelia's face lit up, and she gasped.

"Oh my god! OH. MY. GOD." Amelia screeched happily.

Inside the box was an authentic life-sized replica of Arya Stark's sword, Needle. It had its own serial code and a certificate of authenticity. It also had its own display plaque with the House Stark sigils on it.

"I know your favorite character is Daenerys, but the sword seemed like a better 'welcome back' gift..." Jade said.

"I love it!" Amelia told her mother, hugging her tightly.

* * *

 **Alas, school has started again, so this story is on semi-hiatus. I will update when I can. Thanks for reading and please review! :)**


	10. Someone New

Amelia was hanging out in Annabelle's bedroom, doodling in her journal when Jade called for her. She put her pencil down and closed her journal. She hopped off the bed then leaned over the bannister.

"Yes?" she called out.

"Come down here. There's someone that I want you to meet," Jade told her daughter.

Amelia scurried down the stairs and found her mother in the living room, talking with an older man.

"Who's this dude?" she questioned in a very non-Annabelle way.

"This is Richard Blake. He's promoting my newest show," Jade said.

Amelia introduced herself, then awkwardly shook the man's hand as she eyed him suspiciously. She could tell immediately that he didn't like children. She could also tell how fake he was acting.

There was a loud ding that broke the tension.

"Oh! That must be the kitchen timer. I'll grab dinner, and we can all eat together!" Jade said. As she was walking out of the room, she bent down and whispered into Amelia's ear, "Be nice."

Amelia gave Richard a phony smile and brought him to the dining room. The walk from the living room to the dining room was filled with tense small talk. When the two got to the dining room, Jade was placing a steaming pot of macaroni and cheese down on the table. There were three place settings.

Everyone took a seat and served themselves food. Jade and Richard engaged in polite small talk, while Amelia texted Annabelle under the table.

After dinner was over, Richard announced that he had to go home. He said a syrupy sweet goodbye to Amelia, who immediately excused herself afterwards. When he thought Amelia wasn't looking, he kissed Jade goodbye. Jade said goodbye and walked Richard out to his car.

Amelia had bolted up to her room after seeing Richard kiss her mother. She was pacing, as she sent frantic "SOS" texts to Annabelle. Jade walked up to her daughter's room and knocked on the closed door.

Amelia immediately stopped pacing and cracked the door open. She peeked her head out and looked at Jade.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Can we talk?" Jade replied.

Amelia nodded and opened the door all the way. Jade stepped into the room and took a seat in Annabelle's bed. She patted the spot next to her, indicating that Amelia should join her. Amelia plopped down and looked at her mother.

"What?" she asked flatly.

"Annabelle, it's not like you to act this rudely!" Jade scolded.

"I'm sorry. I'm just...tired from traveling," Amelia said with a sigh.

Jade accepted this and moved on. She asked Amelia what she thought of Richard. Amelia told her that she thought the man was "okay". Then, she asked why her mother wanted to know her opinion of Richard.

"Well, kiddo, Richard proposed to me while you were away..." Jade told Amelia.

"And you said...?" Amelia asked anxiously.

"I said 'yes'," Jade replied.

"YOU SAID WHAT!?" Amelia exclaimed, jumping off the bed. She started pacing around, ranting to herself. She ran her hands through her wavy hair. Jade noticed this and was reminded of Beck and how he used to run his hands through his hair when he was stressed. "I can't believe you actually said 'yes'! This completely ruins everything! Why is this happening!? Of course! That's why he kissed her! My God, I just thought maybe that's just what New Yorkers do: kiss each other goodbye!" Amelia rapidly mumbled to herself.

Jade caught the tail-end of what her daughter said and raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" she questioned.

Amelia stopped and looked at her mother, realizing what she had said.

"I meant I thought that's just what they did nowadays...you know...I thought that maybe a new trend started while I was away at camp..." she rambled nervously.

Jade gave her daughter a suspicious nod.

"Mom, may I please have some alone time right now?" said a frustrated Amelia. She ran her hands through her hair again.

Jade took the hint and left the room, shutting the door behind her.

* * *

Beck walked around the house, looking for Annabelle. He found her sitting on the couch, reading a book about ballet. He thought it was strange that his daughter was reading about ballet. He knew Amelia would much rather read one of her fantasy book, but he shrugged it off and assumed that his daughter had developed more of an interest in ballet while she was away at camp.

"Hey, sport, go on out to my truck. I want to take you somewhere. Oh, and grab your boots," Beck told his daughter.

Annabelle shrugged and stuck a bookmark between the pages of her book before setting it on the coffee table. She took off to Amelia's room to grab her cowgirl boots. Beck thought that what his daughter just did was odd. The Amelia that he knew would've just dog-eared the page and left the book on the couch. He wasn't complaining though. He was thrilled that someone had had a good influence on Amelia while she was at camp.

Annabelle was excited to see what her father had in store for her. She tugged on Amelia's boots and ran back downstairs. She darted past Beck, heading straight for the truck. Beck chuckled to himself. Now, he was seeing the Amelia he knew. He ran after Annabelle and met her at the truck.

Annabelle was already in the truck, buckled in the front seat. Beck hopped in next to her and buckled his seatbelt. He started his truck and drove off.

"I was thinking that we could go on a trail ride and scope out the nature park. I thought it would be nice to see the place before the camping trip," Beck told Annabelle.

"What camping trip?" Annabelle asked.

"'What camping trip'!? The one we go on every year before school starts! What? Did you think that we'd stop the tradition just because we moved?" Beck responded.

"Oh! _That_ camping trip! Umm...yeah...I didn't know if you'd be able to find a place for us to camp in California," Annabelle said.

Beck chuckled and began telling his daughter about the nature park that they were driving to.

Once they arrived, Beck parked his truck and trailer. Annabelle helped him take the horses out of the trailer. The two groomed and saddled their horses. Then, they headed for the trail.

Beck was riding his Thoroughbred gelding, Baylor. The horse was tall for its breed, standing at seventeen hands tall. He was black with a white diamond-shaped marking on his forehead. Annabelle rode Amelia's Quarter Horse, Dude. Dude was about fifteen hands tall, and he was chestnut-colored with white markings that went halfway up both his back legs. He also had a white strip that ran down his face.

Baylor was anxiously to go, so Beck had to keep a tighter rein on him. Dude, however, was content with just plodding alongside Beck and Baylor.

After trail riding for almost two hours, Beck and Annabelle returned to the truck. They untacked their horses and put them back in the trailer. Then, they drove home.

Annabelle had fallen asleep in the car, so Beck let her be while he took care of the horses. She was still asleep when he got back, so he gently lifted her out of the car and carried her into the house.

Several hours later, Annabelle woke up in Amelia's bed. Amelia's (they had switched phones before leaving camp) phone was buzzing wildly on the nightstand. She picked it up and saw seventy-nine text notifications. Just as she was about to start reading through all the texts, the phone rang. She looked at the caller I.D. It was Amelia. She answered immediately.

* * *

 **[Phone Call]**

 **Annabelle: Hello?**

 **Amelia: Annabelle! Finally!**

 **Annabelle: It's like 3 AM in New York. Why are you awake?**

 **Amelia: Why haven't you been responding?**

 **Annabelle: Sorry! Dad took me on a trail ride at this nature park. I forgot to bring my phone. Anyway, oh my god! Dad is the best! He's so nice and funny and-**

 **Amelia: Annabelle, stop!**

 **Annabelle: What?**

 **Amelia: Mom's getting married.**

 **Annabelle: WHAT!? _(she realizes how loud she just was)_ Whoops...I mean: what!? That's crazy! Mom hates pretty much everybody. There's no way she loves some guy enough to marry him!**

 **Amelia: I managed to get a stalker pic of them kissing goodbye after dinner. Check your texts!**

 **Annabelle: Gimme a second... _(she looks through Amelia's texts and finds the picture)_ Ew! He's so old!**

 **Amelia: Oh, and get this: I'm almost certain that he doesn't like children. Cecilia thinks that he only wants Mom for her money and because she'd boost his social status.**

 **Annabelle: You have to break them up!**

 **Amelia: I'll try my best, but we gotta get Mom and Dad back together before it's too late!**

 **Annabelle: I'll think of a plan tomorrow.**

 **Amelia: Sounds good! I gotta go! My phone's about to die!**

 **Annabelle: Talk to you tomorrow?**

 **Amelia: Talk to you tomorrow. Bye!**

* * *

Amelia had snuck down to the coat closet, so she could talk to Annabelle without waking anybody up. She was opening the door when it hit something. That something was Jade.

"I'm so sorry, Mom!" Amelia said after hearing Jade react to being accidentally hit with a door. She stepped out of the closet and saw Jade, who did not look very pleased with her daughter.

"Honey, it's 3:37 in the morning, and you are definitely not a Night Owl. What are you doing up at this hour?" Jade asked.

"I was talking to a friend from camp," Amelia answered innocently. She was technically telling the truth.

"At 3:37 in the morning?" Jade asked suspiciously.

"She lives in California," Amelia quickly replied.

"Uh huh...so you wanted to wait until it was a convenient time for her to talk because of the time difference?" Jade said.

"Exactly! Because of the time difference!" Amelia said confidently.

"Is 1:37 AM a 'convenient' time for Californians to take phone calls?" Jade questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Actually, my friend is vacationing with her family in Australia right now. So, it's only 5:37 in the evening for her," Amelia lied. She nervously bit her lip, something that Annabelle would never do

"Very smooth..." Jade said, by quite believing her daughter.

"Well, goodnight!" Amelia blurted out. She dashed upstairs before her mother could even respond.

Jade rolled her eyes and continued making her into the kitchen to grab some water. There was something going on with her daughter, but she couldn't figure out what it was.

* * *

Annabelle slipped out of bed and tiptoed to the kitchen, hoping not to wake anyone up.

Unfortunately, Bruiser, the pet Rottweiler sensed her presence. He barked loudly, and Annabelle shushed him. He jumped out of his bed and ran towards the girl, barking loudly and wildly. Annabelle tried desperately to hush the dog, but it was no use.

Beck and Samuel came sprinting down to the kitchen to see what was going on. Beck called Bruiser over to him and patted him on the head, quieting him down.

"Hey, buddy, it's just Amelia. Why do you keep barking at her like she's an intruder?" he said to the dog.

Bruiser had been barking at Annabelle whenever she came within fifteen feet of him. He could tell that she wasn't Amelia.

"Oh, I probably just smell like camp. That's all," Annabelle said.

"What are you doing in the kitchen at 1:37 AM?" Samuel asked.

"I just wanted a glass of water," Annabelle told her manny. She started making her way over to the cabinet that contained cups. She grabbed on and filled it with the built in water dispenser on the freezer. She told everyone that they could go back to bed.

Beck and Samuel went back upstairs, and Bruiser laid down in his bed.

Annabelle finished her water and put her cup in the sink. Then, she went back to bed. As she climbed up the stairs, Bruiser kept a suspicious eye on her.

* * *

 **As stated in the previous chapter, this story is on a semi-hiatus. I will update when I can, but with the start of school, I don't know how much writing I can do. I have a few chapters already written though, so be on the lookout for those! Thanks for reading and please review! :)**


	11. Breakfast with Richard

The next morning, Amelia awoke to someone gently shaking her. She groggily opened her eyes and saw her au pair standing over her.

"Ma chérie! You've overslept. I've already laid out your clothes for you. Your mother wants you dressed and ready to go in five minutes!" Cecilia told the girl.

"Ready to go where?" Amelia asked, getting out of bed.

"You and your mother are having breakfast with Richard this morning. They want to talk about wedding plans and thought that you should be included," Cecilia answered.

Amelia groaned loudly and rolled her eyes. She stomped over to the clothing that Cecilia had laid out on her desk.

"I know, ma petite fille. I don't like him either," Cecilia said in response to Amelia's reaction. She gave the girl a sympathetic pat on the back, then left her alone to get dressed.

Amelia grumbled to herself as she put on Annabelle's preppy light blue Oxford shirt. She rolled the sleeves up to her elbows, then she replaced her pajama shorts with spandex dance shorts. She slipped into a plaid pleated kilt and buttoned it at her waist. She put on a pair of ballet flats that matched the color of her shirt. Lastly, she accessorized with a fabric headband that matched the plaid pattern on her skirt.

She met Jade at the bottom of the stairs, and the two left the brownstone.

* * *

Amelia and Jade met Richard at a cute French café.

After the three were seated, Richard ordered orange juice for himself, coffee with cream and sugar for Jade, and water for Amelia.

Amelia remembered Annabelle telling her about how Jade only liked black coffee with two sugars. She wondered if Richard knew that. She thought of the time she caught Beck mistakenly pouring two cups of coffee, one of which he added two sugars to. Her father didn't know that she had seen him do that.

Richard ordered everyone's food for them too. He ordered himself an omelette with bacon and potatoes on the side. He ordered a slice of vegetable quiche for Jade, and finally, he ordered one plain croissant for Amelia.

It didn't take Amelia long to figure out that Richard was a total control freak. She desperately wanted to smack him as hard as she could, but she kept a smile on her face, not wanting to upset Jade.

Towards the end of their meal, Jade got up to use the restroom, leaving Richard and Amelia alone together.

"So, how do you feel about boarding school?" Richard suddenly asked Amelia.

"Excuse me?" Amelia said in response. She raised an eyebrow.

"The second your mother says 'I Do' is the second I ship you off to a boarding school in Peru," Richard informed the girl.

"My mother would never let that happen," Amelia said through gritted teeth.

"Listen up, you little brat! Your mother loves me, and soon I'll be the most important person in her life. You will be no more than an insignificant speck of dust on her radar!" Richard growled.

"You don't know the first thing about my mother!" Amelia replied angrily.

"I do not like you," Richard rudely informed his future step-daughter.

"The feeling is mutual," Amelia fired back.

Amelia and Richard were engaged in an intense stare-down as Jade returned to the table.

"What were you two talking about?" Jade asked, sitting back down.

Richard instantly reverted back to his fake friendly persona when Jade returned.

"Oh, little Annie and I were just talking about school. She told me that she wants to go to boarding school!" he said almost too happily.

Amelia gasped indignantly.

"Oh!" Jade said, clearly shocked at her fiancé's statement.

* * *

"So, boarding school?" Jade asked after all the doors of car were shut.

"He made that up!" Amelia told her mother as she buckled her seatbelt.

Jade buckled her seatbelt and started her car. She pulled away from the curb that she had parked alongside.

"Richard wouldn't do that," she told her daughter.

"Mom! He said he wanted to ship me off to a boarding school in Peru!" Amelia said.

"He was probably joking. He has a weird sense of humor," Jade said.

"If only you knew..." Amelia sadly muttered to herself.

Jade glanced at her daughter in the backseat.

"Is there something you'd like to share with me?" Jade asked sternly.

"No." Amelia answered flatly.

The two continued the rest of the car ride home in tense silence.

* * *

When Jade parked in front of the brownstone, Amelia bolted out of the car and stomped up to her room.


	12. Beck Finds Out

Annabelle was hanging out in the barn when her phone started vibrating. She saw an incoming call from Amelia and answered it.

Amelia updated her twin on the current situation with Richard. Annabelle discussed the plan she had come up with, but Amelia told her that they didn't have enough time to put it into action. She was just about to ask Amelia what to do when their call was abruptly cut off. She looked at her PearPhone's screen. Her phone had just died.

After this last conversation with Amelia, Annabelle felt utterly helpless. She sighed hopelessly and ran out of the barn to grab a charger.

She had just entered the living room when the crushing weight of her mother's impending marriage suddenly hit her. She stopped dead in her tracks as everything hit her like a ton of bricks. She forgot all about needing a charger and started pacing back and forth like a lunatic.

"I'm in way over my head! I'm just one kid! How can I fix this? I can't do this by myself! Why is everything happening so fast!?" Annabelle muttered to herself.

Beck, who had been reading a script, turned around in his armchair.

"You got something you'd like to share with the class?" he asked. He set his script down on the arm of his chair.

Startled, Annabelle jumped back, her hand over her pounding heart.

"Dad! You gave me a fright!" she exclaimed.

"I _'gave you a fright'_?" Beck asked with a raised eyebrow. He stood up and started walking towards his daughter.

"You scared me. I thought I was alone," Annabelle explained.

"Are you sure there's nothing you want to talk to me about, kiddo? Like why Bruiser always barks whenever you go near him or why you never play with your video games anymore or how about why you're suddenly neat as a pin and using expressions like 'You gave me a fright'..." Beck said.

"Dad, I..." Annabelle began to say, not knowing how to continue.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were...No, it's impossible..." Beck said half to himself and half to his daughter.

"Almost as if I were who?" Annabelle asked.

Beck shook his head. He told her to forget what he said. He picked up his script and was about to leave the room when Annabelle spoke again.

"Almost as if I were...Annabelle?" Annabelle asked, stepping towards her father.

Beck whipped around to face his daughter.

"You know about Annabelle?" he asked in disbelief. He knelt down so that he was eye-level with his daughter.

"I _am_ Annabelle," Annabelle told her father.

Tears sprung to Beck's eyes. He pulled Annabelle into a hug. He picked her up and spun her around. He kissed her on the cheek.

"It's really you! I thought you and your mother were dead! What are you doing here?" Beck said happily, still hugging his daughter. He finally let go and took a look at Annabelle. He grinned from ear-to-ear.

Annabelle took a deep breath and began to explain how she had met Amelia at camp. She explained how she beat Amelia in Poker and won her favorite baseball cap. She explained the prank war that ensued after the Poker game. She explained how she and Amelia devised a plan to switch places and get their parents back together.

Once she was finished telling Beck everything, Annabelle requested an explanation for their separation.

Beck explained that there had been a huge earthquake in Los Angeles when the twins were newborns. Beck had taken Amelia on a drive to get her to go to sleep, while Jade and Annabelle slept in his RV. The earthquake caused massive destruction around the city, leading authorities to start evacuating people. Beck and Amelia were evacuated. When they returned to the RV, it was completely destroyed. Jade and Annabelle were gone without a trace. He told Annabelle how he searched for her and her mother for weeks, before he forced himself to accept the fact that the two had probably perished during the earthquake.

"Mom's alive! And she has Amelia! You can see her again after all these years! Then, you two can get married and-" Annabelle squealed excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Whoa! Slow down there, kiddo! How do you know that your mom even wants to see me? For all I know, she's probably moved on and forgotten who I am," Beck told his daughter.

"Mom would love to see you again! You know, deep down, I think she's still in love with you," Annabelle said to Beck.

"I'll tell you what: if you can work something out with your mother, then I will take you back to her. Deal?" Beck said.

"Deal!" Annabelle agreed. She hugged her father again, then dashed off to get a phone charger.


End file.
